Abortion

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 17 December 2012 (WA 268), what is the source of the delegated powers given to primary care trusts; where the limited circumstances are defined, if at all; and whether there is any evidence of primary care trusts in England providing abortions free to women ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland.

Earl Howe: The National Health Service (Functions of Strategic Health Authorities and Primary Care Trusts and Administration Arrangements) (England) Regulations 2002 confer on primary care trusts (PCTs) the Secretary of State's duty under Section 3 of the National Health Service Act 2006 to provide a variety of secondary care services to such extent as he considers necessary to meet all reasonable requirements. They also set out for whom they have responsibility for commissioning and/or providing such services. The limited powers referred to in the previous Written Answer relate to regulation 3(7)(a)(iii) and (b)(i), which provide that PCTs are to exercise this duty, respectively, for certain patients with serious mental illness who are present in the area of a PCT and in providing "emergency services" for patients present in their area, which could involve the provision of abortion services in an emergency. In 2011, 1007 abortions were performed on residents of Northern Ireland in England and Wales. The department has confirmed that five of these abortions were NHS funded.

Airports: Capacity

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest estimate of spare capacity on runways and terminals at Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted, London City, Southend International, and Birmingham International airports compared with actual usage in 2011-12.

Earl Attlee: Department for Transport estimates of annual runway capacities, in terms of air transport movements (ATMs), and annual terminal capacities, in terms of passengers, are published in table 2.6 of UK Aviation Forecasts 2011 (DfT, August 2011). The report is available on the department's website at the following address: http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/uk-aviation-forecasts-2011.
	The report sets out capacity assumptions for 2008; DfT considers these are also appropriate estimates for 2011. These capacity assumptions are also provided in the following table along with actual usage figures for 2011, both in calendar years. Usage figures for the calendar year 2012 are expected to become available in March this year.
	Southend International Airport has not been included in the table. It has planning consent for 53,300 ATMs and a current 1 million passenger terminal capacity. In 2011 it was used by 1,300 ATMs and 42,000 passengers.
	
		
			  DfT estimated capacity Actual usage, 2011 CAA statistics 
			  ATMs (000s) Passengers (million) ATMs (000s) Passengers (million) 
			 Heathrow 480 86 476 69.4 
			 Gatwick 260 42 245 33.6 
			 Luton 104 10 72 9.5 
			 Stansted 259 35 137 18.0 
			 London City 120 8 61 3.0 
			 Birmingham 189 18 84 8.6

Airports: Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted

Lord Mawhinney: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many organisations which the Department for Transport consulted about the Government's airport policy in the south-east of England indicated that they fully supported the Government's policy on the usage of Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.

Earl Attlee: The Department for Transport's public consultation on a draft aviation policy framework closed at the end of October 2012. A summary of responses to the consultation will be published alongside the final framework by March 2013.

Building Regulations: Electrical Safety

Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the safety impact of no longer requiring that electrical work in kitchens and outdoors be notified to the local authority.

Baroness Hanham: A detailed impact assessment was produced and published alongside the Statutory Instrument in the usual way. IA No. DCLG 0084 "Building Regulations Part P, Electrical Safety in Dwellings" (ISBN: 978-1-4098-3762-6) is available on the internet at: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/39370/121217_-_Part_P_IA_-_ to_publish_for_web.pdf

Fluoridation

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what implications the benefits of the Childsmile programme in reducing dental decay and social inequalities in dental health among children in Scotland have for their policy of water fluoridation elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

Earl Howe: The evidence of the success of the Childsmile programme is very encouraging. There are also schemes in England, which derive from the Brushing for Life scheme developed by the department aimed at getting young children into the habit of brushing regularly with fluoride toothpaste. However, the advantage of water fluoridation is that its benefits are enjoyed regardless of personal behaviour.

Fluoridation

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the implications for water fluoridation policy of the findings of the systematic review of developmental fluoride neurotoxicity, published in October 2012 by the Harvard School of Public Health.

Earl Howe: The authors of the review concluded that their results:
	"support the possibility of an adverse effect of high fluoride exposure on children's neurodevelopment. Future research should include detailed individual-level information on prenatal exposure, neurobehavioral performance, and covariates for adjustment".
	Bazian, an organisation of independent health researchers, also reviewed the Chinese research studies on behalf of South Central Strategic Health Authority and found that the study design and methods used by many of the researchers had serious limitations. The researchers reported,
	"the lack of a thorough consideration of confounding as a source of bias means that, from these studies alone, it is uncertain how far fluoride is responsible for any impairment in intellectual development seen. For example, the amount of naturally occurring fluoride in drinking water and from other sources, and the socioeconomic characteristics in the areas studied was different from those found in the UK".
	Nevertheless, we agree that this is an issue which merits further research and the department will be monitoring the results of further studies closely. A copy of the report has been placed in the Library.

Freedom of Information Act 2000

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make the Corporation of Trinity House subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if so, when.

Lord McNally: The Government's recent response to the Justice Select Committee's report on post-legislative scrutiny of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) makes clear that we remain committed to the extension of the Act to provide greater transparency. As part of that, we intend to continue consultations with a wide range of organisations, including Trinity House, about their possible inclusion in the Act with respect to any functions of a public nature that they perform. Subject to the outcome of that consultation, we intend by May 2015 to legislate under Section 5 of the Act to bring the public functions of Trinity House into the scope of the Act.

Government Departments: Training

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much was spent on computer training courses for staff in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in each year since 1997, broken down by type of course.

Lord De Mauley: The level of detail requested is not recorded centrally, nor do we hold records at this level of detail for every year from 1997.
	Our training courses are procured in a range of different ways across the business and managers are held accountable for this expenditure.
	Learning and development for IT skills is now provided by Civil Service Learning and IBM. Both supply a range of online learning options for staff.

Health: Ambulance Service

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the waiting times for emergency ambulances in the East of England Ambulance Services NHS Trust area.

Earl Howe: Ambulance trusts are required to meet national performance standards in respect of their response times. The current national response time targets are known as A8 and A19. A8 means that 75% of category A (immediately life threatening) calls should receive a response within eight minutes. A19 means that 95% of category A patients requiring transport should receive this within 19 minutes of the request for transport being made. From June 2012, the A8 standard was split into category A red 1 calls, defined as incidents presenting conditions which may be immediately life threatening, and category A red 2 calls, defined as incidents presenting conditions which may be life threatening, but are less time critical.
	The following table shows the published data for East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) since the red 1 and red 2 split was introduced in June 2012. November 2012 is the latest published data.
	
		
			 EEAST response times for category A calls received June to November 2012 
			  Jun 2012 Jul 2012 Aug 2012 Sept 2012 Oct 2012 Nov 2012 
			 Cat A red 1 (75% standard) 71.2% 73.0% 75.7% 76.9% 74.8% 76.2% 
			 Cat A red 2 (75% standard) 74.6% 77.2% 77.1% 72.5% 73.9% 74.7% 
			 A19 (95% standard) 94.2% 95.1% 94.8% 92.8% 93.5% 94.3% 
		
	
	Source: Unify2
	Ambulance trusts have additional response time targets that are locally monitored, but information about these is not collected centrally.

Health: Ambulance Service

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the budget for the East of England Ambulance Services NHS Trust in each of the past five years; and what is the projected budget for the next three years.

Earl Howe: Information is not available in the format requested. It is for local commissioners, who know their population's needs best, to determine how much to spend on ambulance services, and this information is not collected centrally.
	The total turnover for East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust from 2007-08 to 2011-12 at final accounts and the 2012-13 forecast turnover is shown in the following table. The department does not hold information about future years' turnover.
	
		
			 East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust turnover 2007-08 to 2011-12 and forecast turnover for 2012-13 
			 2007-08 Annual accounts turnover £000s 2008-09 Annual accounts turnover £000s 2009-10 Annual accounts turnover £000s 2010-11 Annual accounts turnover £000s 2011-12 Annual accounts turnover £000s 2012-13 Forecast outturn turnover £000s 
			 192,842 213,814 228,076 222,389 226,949 231,000 
		
	
	Source: The quarter, Department of Health

Health: Ambulance Service

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many staff were employed by the East of England Ambulance Services NHS Trust in each of the past five years; what are the projected figures for each of the next three years; and how many and what proportion of those are or are expected to be (1) full-time, (2) part-time, and (3) permanent.

Earl Howe: Information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table. The department does not hold information about numbers of permanent staff or ambulance trusts' staffing projections for future years.
	
		
			 NHS hospital and community health services: Non-medical staff in the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust by main staff group and contract as at 30 September each specified year 
			   Full time equivalent 
			   Full time Part time All staff % Full time % Part time 
			 2007 staff total  3,051 423 3,474 87.8% 12.2% 
			 Professionally qualified clinical staff  1,817 92 1,909 95.2% 4.8% 
			  Qualified nursing, midwifery & health visiting staff 11 5 16 68.7% 31.3% 
			  Qualified ambulance service staff 1,806 87 1,893 95.4% 4.6% 
			 Support to clinical staff  871 261 1,132 76.9% 23.1% 
			  Support to doctors & nursing staff 10 1 11 94.0% 6.0% 
			  Support to ST&T staff 59 4 63 94.2% 5.8% 
			  Support to ambulance staff 802 257 1,059 75.7% 24.3% 
			 NHS infrastructure support  363 70 433 83.9% 16.1% 
			  Central functions 172 55 227 75.6% 24.4% 
			  Hotel, property & estates 14 3 17 82.9% 17.1% 
			  Managers & senior managers 177 12 189 93.9% 6.1% 
			 2008 staff total  3,238 429 3,667 88.3% 11.7% 
			 Professionally qualified clinical staff  1,856 111 1,967 94.4% 5.6% 
			  Qualified nursing, midwifery & health visiting staff 11 5 16 70.5% 29.5% 
			  Qualified ambulance service staff 1,845 106 1,951 94.5% 5.5% 
			 Support to clinical staff  967 251 1,218 79.4% 20.6% 
			  Support to doctors & nursing staff 11 1 12 94.5% 5.5% 
			  Support to ST&T staff 2 - 2 100.0% 0.0% 
			  Support to ambulance staff 954 250 1,205 79.2% 20.8% 
			 NHS infrastructure support  415 67 482 86.1% 13.9% 
			  Central functions 261 62 323 80.9% 19.1% 
			  Hotel, property & estates - 1 1 0.0% 100.0% 
			  Managers & senior managers 154 5 159 97.1% 2.9% 
			 2009 staff total  3,395 434 3,829 88.7% 11.3% 
			 Professionally qualified clinical staff  1,711 124 1,835 93.2% 6.8% 
			  Qualified nursing, midwifery & health visiting staff 11 4 15 71.9% 28.1% 
			  Qualified ambulance service staff 1,700 120 1,820 93.4% 6.6% 
			 Support to clinical staff  1,208 230 1,438 84.0% 16.0% 
			  Support to ambulance staff 1,208 230 1,438 84.0% 16.0% 
			 NHS infrastructure support  477 79 556 85.8% 14.2% 
			  Central functions 284 70 354 80.3% 19.7% 
			  Hotel, property & estates - 1 1 0.0% 100.0% 
			  Managers & senior managers 193 9 202 95.7% 4.3% 
			 2010 staff total  3,186 423 3,609 88.3% 11.7% 
			 Professionally qualified clinical staff  1,615 133 1,748 92.4% 7.6% 
			  Qualified nursing, midwifery & health visiting staff 10 5 15 68.1% 31.9% 
			  Qualified ambulance service staff 1,605 128 1,733 92.6% 7.4% 
			 Support to clinical staff  1,222 231 1,453 84.1% 15.9% 
			  Support to ambulance staff 1,222 231 1,453 84.1% 15.9% 
			 NHS infrastructure support  349 59 408 85.5% 14.5% 
			  Central functions 240 51 291 82.4% 17.6% 
			  Hotel, property & estates - 1 1 0.0% 100.0% 
			  Managers & senior managers 109 8 117 93.5% 6.5% 
			 2011 staff total  3,209 431 3,640 88.2% 11.8% 
			 Professionally qualified clinical staff  1,564 133 1,697 92.1% 7.9% 
			  Qualified nursing, midwifery & health visiting staff 11 4 15 73.5% 26.5% 
			  Qualified ambulance service staff 1,553 129 1,682 92.3% 7.7% 
			 Support to clinical staff  1,269 236 1,505 84.3% 15.7% 
			  Support to ambulance staff 1,269 236 1,505 84.3% 15.7% 
			 NHS infrastructure support  376 62 438 85.8% 14.2% 
			  Central functions 262 53 315 83.0% 17.0% 
			  Hotel, property & estates - 1 1 0.0% 100.0% 
			  Managers & senior managers 114 8 122 93.2% 6.8% 
		
	
	Notes:
	It is not possible to determine from the census data which staff are permanent and which are not.
	Full time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number.
	- Zero.
	Data Quality:
	The Health and Social Care Information Centre seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses.
	Source:
	Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census.

Health: Doctors' Language Tests

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government when and why they intend to change the law so that doctors who have qualified in the European Union have their language skills tested to prove they can speak English adequately before they can practice in the United Kingdom; and why it is not currently possible to test for competence in English.

Earl Howe: In pursuit of the Government's objective to strengthen the arrangements to ensure that all doctors practising in England have sufficient knowledge of English, we are exploring options to amend the Medical Act 1983. This is to strengthen the General Medical Council's (GMC's) powers so that the GMC can undertake checks on language knowledge where legitimate concerns arise during the registration process about a doctor's ability to communicate effectively, and before there is evidence of malpractice. The department is working constructively with the GMC, and we envisage that shortly we will be announcing further steps to develop the policy.
	Systematic testing of language competence at the point of registration would not be lawful under European Law.

Health: Medical Students

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are sufficient doctors in training in the United Kingdom to meet the basic needs of the National Health Service without importing foreign medical graduates from outside the European Union; and, if so, whether they forecast this will continue to be the case.

Earl Howe: The number of doctors entering specialty training is determined each year by a Postgraduate Medical Specialty Training Numbers Joint Working Group. The joint working group has been managed by the department, but will be part of Health Education England from April 2013.
	Numbers of students entering medical school are periodically reviewed by the department and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to ensure there are sufficient numbers graduating to meet the future need for doctors.
	While in earlier years the National Health Service relied quite heavily on recruiting staff overseas, efforts to recruit, train and retain staff in this country have paid off in recent years. The NHS has many more doctors and is much closer to self-sufficiency, in line with World Health Organisation recommendations.
	The current Government are committed to increasing the number of home-trained doctors working in the NHS. However, due to the time it takes to train a doctor, it is likely that the NHS, due to the size of the workforce and skills required, will continue to require the flexibility provided by the international labour market to fill positions where posts cannot be filled locally.

Higher Education: Degree Programmes

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many students in (1) universities, (2) university colleges, (3) colleges of higher education, and (4) further education colleges offering degree courses, have (a) accepted and enrolled, and (b) accepted but did not enrol, on degree programmes in the academic year 2012-13.

Baroness Garden of Frognal: This information is not available. Data on the number of enrolments at different types of institution in 2012-13 will be available in the 2012-13 Higher Education Statistics Agency student record. These data will be released in January 2014.

HMS "St Albans"

Baroness Warwick of Undercliffe: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ensure that the crew of HMS "St Albans" will be given the opportunity to have harmony time when it goes in for refit; and, if so, whether they will provide greater certainty over the dates to allow the crew to plan ahead.

Lord Astor of Hever: HMS "St Albans" is due to enter her upkeep period in May 2013 and the ship's company will be allowed harmony time in accordance with Naval Service regulations.

Houses of Parliament: Correspondence

Lord Norton of Louth: To ask the Chairman of Committees how many items of correspondence were received in the Palace of Westminster in 2012; and, of those, what proportion was received in the House of Lords.

Lord Sewel: In total, 2,544,019 items of mail were received in the Palace of Westminster in 2012. Approximately 25% (636,005) of these items were destined for the House of Lords. These figures do not include parcels, courier items or internal mail.

Marriage: Same-sex Weddings

Lord Mawhinney: To ask Her Majesty's Government why their proposals to legislate to prohibit the Church of England and the Church in Wales from conducting same-sex weddings do not extend to other churches or religious bodies.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: The proposals relating to the Church of England arise from its unique position as the Established Church. First, it has a legal duty to marry parishioners in their parish church. The Church of England has confirmed it does not want to conduct same-sex marriage ceremonies; therefore specific provision is needed so that the duty to marry parishioners does not apply in the case of same-sex couples.
	Second, the Church of England's canon law is part of the law of the land. We must therefore ensure that the proposed legislation is not in conflict with canon law.
	Similar provisions are simply not necessary for other religious bodies because they do not have a legal duty to marry parishioners; and their religious law is not part of the law of the land.
	We are in discussions with the Church in Wales about how the legislation should apply to it.

Mexico: Money Laundering

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received representations from the Government of Mexico or its agencies regarding the consequences of HSBC's facilitation of money laundering by drug traffickers and criminal gangs.

Lord Deighton: The UK Government have regular discussions with the Government of Mexico, covering a range of issues.

Mexico: Money Laundering

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have offered any reparation to Mexico in relation to the consequences of HSBC's facilitation of money-laundering by Mexican criminal elements, including loss of life.

Lord Deighton: The issue of reparation to Mexico, in relation to HSBC, is not a matter for the UK Government. The anti-money laundering failings occurred in parts of the HSBC Group outside of the regulatory remit of the UK and Financial Services Authority.

NHS: Healthcare Services

Lord Mawhinney: To ask Her Majesty's Government on which legislative provisions the Department of Health relies when requiring patient services to be shifted from the hospital to the community sector; and which health body has the responsibility to enforce such shifts if necessary.

Earl Howe: Decisions over the reconfiguration of healthcare services are the responsibility of the National Health Service. It is for NHS commissioners, working in partnership with providers and local authorities, to secure high-quality services that will meet the healthcare needs of local communities.
	Commissioners should ensure that any proposals to change services align with the arrangements for the provision of health services, as set out in the NHS Act 2006 (as amended by the Health and Social Care Act 2012). Accordingly, commissioners will need to comply with their legal duties in relation to promoting the NHS Constitution, acting with a view to securing the continuous improvement in the quality of services, and promoting patient involvement, innovation and integration.
	In addition, regulations set out the matters on which certain NHS bodies and certain providers of health services must consult local authority scrutiny functions. This includes proposals for substantial service changes. Where local authorities have concerns over such proposals, which cannot be resolved locally, they have the power to refer the proposals to the Secretary of State.
	The legislative provisions are further supported by the Government's four reconfiguration tests, which are that local reconfiguration plans should demonstrate: support from clinical commissioners; robust public and patient engagement; clarity on the clinical evidence base; and support for patient choice. It is for NHS commissioners to assure themselves, and their communities, that those proposals can demonstrate clear and compelling evidence against these tests.

Nobel Peace Prize

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received representations from the public regarding the Prime Minister's attendance at the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The Prime Minister's Office received representations from three members of the public regarding the Nobel Peace Prize and the European Union.

Railways: Fares

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Attlee on 18 December 2012 (WA 296), why there is a variation in individual train ticket prices when fare rises are limited to Retail Prices Index minus 1%.

Earl Attlee: Increases in regulated fares are not uniform. Train operators must ensure that the total value of each fares basket does not exceed the cumulative cap placed on the value of the basket by Government. This cap increases each year by a formula set out in franchise agreements with train operators. The formula is based on the Retail Price Index (RPI) as a measure of the cost of living: RPI+k where k is defined in the franchise agreement.
	Since 2004, k has been plus 1% for the majority of train operators.
	No individual fare in the basket may increase by more than 5% above the RPI+k average for the basket (or more than 2% for regulated fares set by Southern).

Railways: Fares

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Attlee on 18 December 2012 (WA 296), whether they have any plans to make the process of fare baskets more transparent.

Earl Attlee: The Department for Transport is engaged in a full review of fares and ticketing and is considering the issue of transparency as part of that exercise.

Railways: Fares

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Attlee on 18 December 2012 (WA 296), whether representatives of passenger interests are involved in the process for monitoring the make-up of fare baskets.

Earl Attlee: Although passenger representatives are not directly involved in monitoring fares baskets, Department for Transport officials follow the principles of fares regulation as set out in the franchise agreement. These were based on the Strategic Rail Authority's conclusions to its fares review of 2003, which took account of passengers' interests.
	Passenger Focus has an overarching role in looking after passengers' interests.

Railways: Rolling Stock

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the new rolling stock being procured by Southern to be in service; and where the new stock is to be deployed.

Earl Attlee: The order for 40 new carriages announced by Southern on 21 December 2012 will provide increased capacity on the Southern network from December 2014.

Schools: Free Schools

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of (1) teaching, and (2) leadership, staff in operational free schools have qualified teacher status.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what safeguarding training is (1) offered to, and (2) expected to have been undertaken by, teaching staff in free schools.

Baroness Garden of Frognal: The School Workforce Census collects data on teaching staff in schools. The most recent census return which was published in November 2012 covers 17 of the 24 free schools that opened in September 2011. These data show 90% of teaching staff in free schools have qualified teacher status and, of the remaining 10%, at least 3% are working towards the qualification. It also shows 95% of teachers in a leadership role have qualified teacher status.
	Like other schools, free schools are under a statutory duty to have a child protection policy in place. As independent schools, free schools must also have regard to the relevant parts of the Independent School Standards Regulations (SI 2010/1997). Part 3 of the schedule includes a standard that requires the proprietor of an independent school to have regard to any guidance issued by the Secretary of State in relation to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils at the school. The Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education guidance states proprietors should "ensure the head teacher, and all other staff who work with children undertake training that equips them with the knowledge and skills necessary to carry out their responsibilities for child protection".

Shipping: Freedom of Information Act 2000

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make the Corporation of Trinity House subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if so, when.

Lord McNally: The Government's recent response to the Justice Select Committee's report on post-legislative scrutiny of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) makes it clear that we remain committed to the extension of the Act to provide greater transparency. As part of that, we intend to continue consultations with a wide range of organisations, including Trinity House, about their possible inclusion in the Act with respect to any functions of a public nature that they perform. Subject to the outcome of that consultation, we intend by May 2015 to legislate under Section 5 of the Act to bring the public functions of Trinity House into the scope of the Act.

Shipping: General Lighthouse Authorities

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was (1) the annual budget, and (2) the headcount, of the Research and Radionavigation Directorate of the General Lighthouse Authorities in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, and (c) 2012; and what are the forecast figures for 2013.

Earl Attlee: The General Lighthouse Authorities budget on the basis of financial years, not calendar years. The table below sets out the headcount and budget of the Research and Radionavigation Directorate of the General Lighthouse Authorities for those financial years covering the calendar years in question:
	
		
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 
			 Headcount 14 12 11 10 
			 Budget (£thousands) 
			 Staff 760 767 567 531 
			 Non-Staff 1,273 1,422 1,389 1,415 
			 Total 2,033 2,189 1,956 1,946

Shipping: General Lighthouse Authorities

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether ship owners have been consulted about funding from the General Lighthouse Fund being spent on the Accessibility for Shipping, Efficiency Advantages and Sustainability (ACCSEAS) project.

Earl Attlee: This is an operational matter for the General Lighthouse Authorities (GLAs). The Lights Advisory Committee, which represents the views of light dues payers, participates in the GLAs' annual corporate planning round where their bids for expenditure are considered.

Shipping: General Lighthouse Authorities

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the General Lighthouse Authorities' Joint Strategic Board's annual corporate targets for (1) 2012, and (2) 2013.

Earl Attlee: The Joint Strategic Board (JSB) of the General Lighthouse Authorities (GLAs) is not an independent entity and therefore does not have corporate targets. The Department for Transport sets the JSB tasks and challenges relating to the GLAs' operational and financial activities as part of the annual GLA corporate planning round.

Shipping: Navigation and Timing Systems

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the expected benefits for ship owners from the continued development of resilient position navigation and timing (RPNT) systems; and whether ship owners have sanctioned expenditure by the General Lighthouse Authorities on RPNT development.

Earl Attlee: The General Lighthouse Authorities are developing and piloting eLoran, a position navigation and timing system. The operational benefits that eLoran would be expected to deliver include a reduction in the deployment of physical aids to navigation, and additional resilience in the event of a failure of satellite-based navigation systems.
	The Lights Advisory Committee, that represents the views of light dues payers, participates in the annual corporate planning round for the General Lighthouse Authorities, where all expenditure, including the sanction for eLoran, is considered.

Social Care: Adults

Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the cost of introducing a cap to individual financial liability for adult social care, as proposed by the Dilnot Commission, if the cap was set at (1) £35,000, (2) £50,000, (3) £60,000 and (4) £75,000.

Earl Howe: Caring for our Future: Progress Report on Funding Reform published in July 2012 sets out the cost to Government of different levels of the cap. Copies of the document have been placed in the Library. Pages 33 and 34 demonstrate the costs of caps set at £25,000 with a £7,000 contribution to general living costs and caps of £35,000, £50,000, £75,000 and £100,000 with a £10,000 contribution to general living costs.
	Information on a cap of £60,000 is not available.

Taxation: Tax Havens

Lord Barnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Newby on 9 January (Official Report, col. 126) about tax havens, whether there have been any discussions with the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man; and, if so, what has been the result.

Lord Deighton: On 7 December 2012, the Government announced that they would be entering into an agreement to move to automatic information exchange with the Isle of Man. This sets a new international standard in tax transparency.
	The Government will look to make similar agreements with other jurisdictions and are in discussions with the Channel Islands about enhanced information exchange, as part of their common commitment to combat tax evasion. The Government do not comment on ongoing discussions.

Transport: Expenditure

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what forecast they have made of identifiable expenditure per head on transport in (1) the East of England, (2) England, and (3) the United Kingdom, in each of the next three years.

Earl Attlee: The Department for Transport has not made any estimate of the likely level of expenditure in these regions for future years. While we have an overall estimate of the department's expenditure in each year up to 2014-15, it is not allocated on a regional basis for future years because this is dependent on individual spending decisions.
	The overall budget is published in the department's business plan which is updated annually and can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/3367/ dft-2012-business-plan.pdf.
	In addition, the Autumn Statement 2012 announced a further £1 billion of capital within the spending review period. Areas in the East of England will benefit from a proportion of the £333 million for highways maintenance and can also put forward proposals for the £170 million local pinchpoint fund.
	As announced by the Chancellor in the Autumn Statement, funding allocations for 2015-16 will be announced in the spending round in the first half of this year.